Harvester sickle-bar



(No Model.)

' T. W. VANSIGKLE 8; J. TURNBULL.

HARVESTER $IGKLE BAR. No. 339,503. Patented Apr. 6, 1886.

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UNITED STATns PATENT @rricn.

THOMAS WV. VANSIOKLE AND JOHN TURNBULL, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

HARVESTER SiOKLE-BAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent; No. 339,503, dated April 6, 1886.

Application filed June 4, 1885. Scria1No.1G7,591. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, THOMAS W. VAN- SICKLE and JOHN TURNBULL, of Detroit, in the county of IVayne and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Harvester Sickle-Bars; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in the construction of harvester cutter-bars; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of and means employed for securing the knives to the knifebar in such a manner that they may be readily removed for sharpening or repair, and yet are secured as against accidental displacement,all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure l is a plan of a section of a harvester cutter-bar provided with our improved device. Fig. 2 is a similar view,with one of the knives removed. Fig. 3 is a section on the line :1; x in Fig. 1.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, A represents a knife-bar, designed to be reciprocated in the guard and finger-bar of a harvester, as in the usual manner, and B represent the knives, which are secured to the bar A in the following manner: To the upper face of the bar A we firmly secure the plates 0 by bolts passing through holes therein and coincident holes 0 in the knife-bar, upon the opposite sides ofv which plates, in the longitudinal direction of the bar, there is formed a flange, c, the distance between the bodies of these plates being equal, or nearly so, in order to receive the shanks of the knives B and prevent their lateral displacement, while at the same time the corners of the shanks are held down upon the bar A by the flanges a. The plates 0 are thus easily removed in case they should become broken or it is desirable to remove them for any other cause. At the central part of the shank of each knife there is formed the open-ended slot 1), which, when the knife is in place upon the bar, is designed to come-coincident with a threaded hole, 0, in such bar.

D is the retaining-screw, which is designed Patented in Canada September 1, 1885, No.22,336.

to pass through the slot b of the knife and screw into the hole 0 of the bar beneath. The under face of the head of this screw D is provided with a hexagonal or many-sided shoulder, d, which is received in a similarly-formed opening in the washer E, placed between the head of the screw and the upper face of the knife. This washer is provided with a tongue, F, which,when the parts are secured together, enters the open end of the slot b.

In practice, when it is desired to secure a knife upon the bar, the shank of the knife is inserted between the plates 0 and beneath the shoulders a, as shown. The washer is placed upon the screw,engaging with its shoulder d. The screw is then inserted in the slot and screwed into the hole beneath in the bar, the washer turning with the screw upon the face of the knife until the knife is secured to place, and the tongue of the washer will come coincident with the slot b,when such tongue should be forced down into the slot.

In this construction the plates 0 prevent the knives having any lateral movement upon the knife-bar, and the screws secure them from sliding outwardly, as it will be seen that the screw cannot turn or loosen in the action of the machine, as the washers act as locks for that purpose.

To remove a knife the tongue must be first disengaged from its slot before the screw can be turned or unscrewed from the bar.

We are aware that it has been proposed to form a cutter with a tapering tang having dovetailed edges fitted into a recess in the cutterbar and held in place by a screw, and makevno claim to such construction. By this construction the bar is weakened where it is cut away to form the recess for the tang of the cutter. Our construction avoids this defect.

hat we claim as our invention is- 1. The combination, with the knife-bar A and the plates 0, removably secured thereto, and provided with flanges a, of the knife B,

having anopenended slot, washer E, and

screw D, said washer being provided with a tongue to engage said slot, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with a knife-bar, A, provided with the plates 0, having flanges a,

arranged, and operating substantially in the manner andfor the purposes described.

THOS. W. VANSIGKLE. JNO. TURN BULL.

Witnesses:

H. S SPRAGUE, E J. SOULLY. 

